


I Think You Should Know

by Lost_Elf



Series: The King of Stone [3]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Acting, Actor Handsome Jack (Borderlands), Dare, Established Relationship, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Idiots in Love, King of Stone Handsome Jack, Love Confessions, M/M, The Mage Rhys Strongfork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25037644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_Elf/pseuds/Lost_Elf
Summary: Jack is salty because they always give him the same kind of roles - gruff and grumpy heartless asshole. Rhys gives him a challenge for fun, to make a love confession and prove that he can play any role. His little plot turns against him quickly.**** Can be read without knowing the rest of the series. Spoils parts the first and main story. ****
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Series: The King of Stone [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752406
Kudos: 30





	I Think You Should Know

**Author's Note:**

> I want to take the time and thank past me for coming up with a name for this story, so my drunk brain didn't have to. ˘-˘

Rhys’ brows furrowed a little as he focused on the model in front of him. Something wasn’t working properly, and instead of walking smoothly, the figurine stumbled and swayed in an inhuman way. It was running smoothly the last time he rendered it. Almost ready to send it to the client. Why is it…

A soft thump got his attention. It was a sharp change – for the last few hours, the only sounds he would hear were a soft rustle as pages were turned or his own typing and clicking. He turned his head to see Jack taking off his reading glasses and standing up, walking to the penthouse window.

The penthouse in Helios was Rhys’ least favourite place to stay at, his favourite being the house in Pandora, and the presidential suite they sometimes got when staying in Elpis being considered acceptable. With his disliking in heights, he could not appreciate the huge windows and stunning view that Jack seemed to be intent on studying now.

“I thought you wanted to finish the script today,” he noted, watching Jack give no reaction. He probably wasn’t even listening, especially if he was thinking about something.

Rhys returned to his work, frowning at the figurine that looked normal when it wasn’t moving. He should have kept the old program for work until he learned to work with the new one. It offers more functions, but until he gets the hang of them, it will be a little—

“The movie is stupid, and I’m honestly considering breaking the contract.” Jack speaks out of nowhere, making Rhys jump, his heartbeat raising for a second.

“I thought you liked the idea,” he says, eyeing the script to make sure that it is the one they talked about.

“I mean, yeah,” Jack shrugs, turning and leaning on the glass wall as if there wasn’t an abys of darkness and traffic behind him. Just looking at that makes Rhys sick, and he turns his attention back to work. He runs the animation again, wondering if anything changed, but the figurine still moves like a drunk alien.

“Good idea, action, explosions, and Jesper Kyd will be doing the soundtrack, and you know I _love_ that guy. But my character is boring. Just another stone-cold veteran soldier with addiction problems. They always give me these roles, like they don’t expect me to be good at anything else.”

Rhys smirks. “ _Love in a Bagel_ is still one of your best rated movies, and you were anything but a cold-hearted alcoholic in that. People know you are the best for any role.”

The compliment goes unnoticed as Jack frowns. “Yeah, and _still_ , they only give me these.” He makes a gesture towards the script, frowning as if it made a rude gesture at him in return. “I need a _challenge_. The roles they give me come naturally. I’m an actor, I _act_ , so why do they just want Me but in a half-torn shirt? I mean, I get the torn shirt part, but why not change something up? They are just a bunch of idiots, that’s why!”

Saving the work – four times, to be sure – and closing the program for tonight, Rhys leans back in his chair and folds his arms behind the headrest. “You want a challenge?” he asks, unable to resist the opportunity. There _is_ a reason why they don’t give a certain kind of roles to the _King of Stone_ , after all.

“Please,” Jack swallows the bait whole, his tone mocking, but the dare in his eyes is obvious to his boyfriend. _Try me._

 _Perfect_ , Rhys thinks. He licks his lips, prolonging the moment as if he had to actually think about it. He holds Jack’s intense gaze, noticing the way his eyes flick lower for a second when the tip of his tongue darts out. He smirks. “Love confession.”

“Huh?” Jack raises his eyebrows.

“That’s your challenge,” Rhys shrugs, more than satisfied with himself.

But the room is filled with silence and Jack doesn’t say anything, his face unreadable as he studies Rhys. The younger man hesitates, wondering whether he over-stepped. Could Jack take this personally? Could he think that Rhys wasn’t being honest with him when he said he doesn’t need those? What if—

“You know, we have been dating for a long time,” Jack says suddenly, interrupting his train of thoughts. His face is the same mask as always, and no matter how hard Rhys tries, he cannot find a hint on where this is going. It sounds a lot like a break-up speech. To him, at least.

“Jack, I—”

“Just let me speak, ‘kay?” the actor raises both hands in the air in a defensive gesture. “This needs to be said, because apparently, there are some issues that I’ve been ignoring.”

Rhys’ mouth snaps shut, and he nods. His hands fall to his lap, fidgeting a little. Trepidation makes his chest clench.

Jack takes a step forward, arms reaching out to his boyfriend before he halts himself and lets them dive into his own hair, messing his perfect style into an unruly nest. “Look, I— I’m not good at this. We both know that. And I thought— Heh, I really thought you would know, after all this time.” Something bitter in his voice pulls at Rhys’ heart, and he has to clench the fabric of his pants tightly in his fists to stop himself from saying something.

“The first time you distanced yourself from me, when you came to me just to scream at me, I thought that maybe I was wrong, that you aren’t who I thought you are. I thought I made a mistake, falling in love with one of _those_ people.”

Rhys can’t anymore, and he half-raises from the chair. “Jack—”

“ _No_ , Rhys,” the older man scowls, and his hard expression sends him falling back into the chair, that rolls back a little with the movement. “I have to admit, you _are_ someone else than I thought. At first, I saw myself in you, a lot. Now I know that you are someone I will never be.” He makes another couple of steps forward, the movement halted. His face remains unmoving, but something glistens in his eyes, his eyelids seeming heavier, swollen.

A gasp leaves the man on the chair. Is he…? Is Jack…? Are those tears?! He breaths in, wishing to say that he is stupid, that he is sorry, and he didn’t mean to poke at his boyfriend like that. It was childish.

“You know…” Jack speaks before he can. “I should have known. God, I was stupid!” He ruffles his hair again, pulling slightly as his fingers tangle in those beautiful brown locks. “You deserve better, Rhys.”

His heart sinks. He is about to say something, determined to break through the wall Jack is building, to not let himself be stopped again, but Jack closes the rest of the distance between them, planting his hands on the armrests of his chair and pushing until it hits the wall. Caged in like that, Jack’s presence all around him, Rhys feels like a deer in headlights, and he can’t bring himself to fight or flight, captured by two deep wells of blue and green.

What Jack says next sucks the air from his lungs. He might have as well punched him. “I love you, Rhys. You deserve to know. I’m sorry I didn’t say it before, I— I thought you knew. I honestly believed you know what— That you know _me._ I—” His head droops, gaze falling somewhere at Rhys’ chest as if he couldn't look him in the eyes anymore. “I love you,” he whispers once more.

The whole world spins for a moment. Rhys keeps blinking, trying to find anything in Jack’s face, but… there is nothing, just small hints of raw emotion buried inside. He can feel his own hands trembling, throat tight and face heated by the confession. He wants to say something, do anything, but Jack took him apart with those words like nobody did in a long time.

And surprisingly, he doesn’t mind losing control like that. Completely at his boyfriend’s mercy, he feels strangely… content. Secure.

Jack looks up again, searching Rhys’ face for something. A minute passes, two, and Rhys still can’t bring himself to say anything. His cheeks remain tinted red and body slightly trembling. Jack is not the only one who is not good at this, after all.

Suddenly, Jack’s lips tug upward. Then again, and he stops fighting it. It dawns on Rhys, and Jack laughs when he sees the realisation in his eyes. “Kinda expected ya to faint there, to be honest,” he teases.

“Asshole!” Rhys lets out an incredulous chuckle, pushes against his boyfriend’s chest, shoving him away and freeing himself.

Jack only laughs again, catching his wrists and pulling him to his feet while continuously backing away. When his backside hits Rhys’ work desk, he sits on it and pulls him closer to stand between his legs. “How’s that for a love confession from the _stone king_ , huh?” he smirks.

“You got me,” Rhys admits, hiding his flushed face in Jack’s chest. “It was… even better than in _Love in a Bagel_. It was like _you_ but… I dunno, just completely believable. Oscar award level and all… You’re the best actor I know, okay?”

Instead of saying anything, laughing or making fun of him, Jack simply pinches Rhys’ side. Enough to sting, not enough to really hurt.

The younger man worries his lower lip, more colour rushing to his face. “Was it…” he asks hesitantly. “Was it true?”

Jack snorts, clearly expecting the question. “Of course, idiot.” There is probably a self-assured smirk on his face. He really won the game this time.

Rhys snakes his arms around his boyfriend’s body, hugging him a tad bit too tight. There is a confusing whirl of emotions still wrecking his insides, making his heart try to break out of his ribcage and his stomach to do flips. When he dared Jack to do this, he didn’t expect to be so unnerved by it.

After a minute of standing like that, Jack returns his hug, loosely wrapping his arms around Rhys’ shoulders. “You’re an idiot,” he repeats in a matter-of-fact tone. “My idiot,” he adds when Rhys tries to pull away to frown at him. It is as close to repeating his previous words as he will probably ever get.

They stay there for a few more minutes, until Jack starts complaining that his butt aches. Rhys lets go of him with a roll of his eyes.

Later, at night, while Jack snores away next to him and he is left to stare into the darkness, Rhys rolls over for a second. There is something about watching Jack sleep, his face relaxed, lips parted and not clenched in a tight line. The scene replays in Rhys’ head, and he wonders what Jack really felt when he said those words. Probably close to nothing. But they were still true.

“I love you,” he says tentatively. It sounds weird. He doesn’t remember ever saying that to anyone. It is like giving them a leash, giving up a part of his independence. Still, he says it again, just for Jack. “I love you.”

A grumble slips past the parted lips, something that sounds too much like _go to sleep or I smother you with a pillow_. Rhys smirks and presses a kiss to Jack’s forehead, quickly rolling over and escaping a hand that tries to hit him. Jack grumbles something else in annoyance and starts snoring again, but Rhys feels warm. He loves him.

**Author's Note:**

> Please, read the whole series if you are interested in this dynamic. Please please.


End file.
